Terminal strip connecting device



March 10, 1959 H. DORJEE 2,877,440

' TERMINAL sTRP CONNECTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19. 1952 HENDmK DORJE AGENT United vStates Patent O 2,877,440 TERMINAL STRIP CONNECTING DEvrcE Hendrik Dorjee, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to North American Philips Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., ya corporation of Delaware Thel present invention relates to a connecting device. More particularly, the invention relates to a connecting device comprising at least one substantially channel-like metal part in which a metallic resilient strip extending parallel to the bottom ofthe channel is fixed midway and in which two clamping bolts, at right angles 'to the bottom of the channel, are provided. The bolts are mounted so that they may be screwed in and out; each clamping bolt, through the intermediary of one free end of the resilient strip, being adapted to clamp in position a wire located in the channel in the longitudinal direction thereof. As a rule, Ia plurality of such channel-like clamping members are arranged side by side in insulated relation to each other, the flat shape of `the clamping-member being particularly suitable for this purpose.

The object of the invention is to provide an advantageous and eiicacious construction of such a connecting device, which is obtained due to the fact that the extremitiesof the strip protruding beyond the clamping bolts are bifurcated and slightly 'bent backwards, the bifurcated extremities of the strip embracing narrowed parts of the clamping bolts. This construction affords several advantages. Among other things, the clamping bolt is locked in so that it does not fall out of the channel part and the bifurcated extremities of the strip may, if desired, serve as soldering tabs.

A plurality of the channel-like 'clamping members are preferably secured side by side in grooves, open on three sides, of an insulating body of moulded material.

In order that the invention may be readily carriedinto elfect, it will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the connecting device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. l, taken on the line II-II in Fig. 1; f

Figs. 3 and 4 are two elevation views of an embodiment of an insulating body for lsupporting the channel-like clamping members of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4; and

Fig. 6 is Ia cross-sectional View of the narrow portion 33 of the embodiment of Fig. 1, taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

The clamping member shown in Figs. l and 2 is constituted by a U-shaped channel-like part 1 which is punched from sheet metal and in which two screw bolts 3 and 5 are provided at right angles to the bottom of the channel. The clamping bolts 3 and 5 are adapted to be screwed into two square nuts 7 fand 9, enclosed in suitable rectangular recesses provided in the parallel sidewalls of the channel part 1 (in Fig. 1 only apertures 11 and 13 in the front wall of the channel part are visible). The diameter of the bolts 3 and 5 is only slightly smaller than the width of the channel part 1 (see Fig. 2), so that said bolts cannot shift much in their associated apertures and therefore the nuts 7 and 9 cannot fall out of said channel part through said apertures (for example 11 and 13). At the extremities of the channel 1 there are provided rectangular projections 15, 17 and 19, 21,*respectively, which are rectangularly bent inwards so that they overlap one another pairwise. The overlapping projections 15, 17 and 19, 21 are secured together by means 'of .a point weld, so that the side-walls of the channel 1 cannot be bent apart'. l

A strip-like spring 23, which has Ia substantially centrally positioned U-shaped portion 24, is positioned in the channel 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof.,r A projection 25 is struck out from one of the side-walls and is rectangularly bent inwards out of said one of the sidewalls, and is located in the U-shaped portion of the spring 23 thus preventing said spring from shifting in the longitudinal direction. The extremities 27 and 29 of spring 23 protrude beyond the bolts 3 and 5 and are bifurcated. The protruding parts of the spring 23 are bent backwards so that the bifurcated extremities embrace narrowed portions 31 and 33 of the Ibolts 3 and 5 and thereby prevent said bolts from falling out of the channel part 1. Each of the narrowed portions 31 and 33 is embraced in a similar manner by its associated ,bifurcated extremity 27 and 29, respectively; the association of the narrow portion 33 and extremity 29 being shown in Fig. 6.

At the left-hand side in Fig. 1,`a copper wire 35 is shown, which is provided in the channel 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof and which is clamped in position therein through the intermediary of the left-hand half of spring 23 with the use of bolt 3.` Part of the bottom of the channel 1, at the center thereof, is bent upwards in the form of a struck-out projection 37 and serves as an abutment or stop for a wire which it is desired to clamp in position (e. g., the wire 35). At the right-hand side in Fig. 1, a projection 39 is bent upwards in a similar manner. As may be seen from Fig. l, the use of a single clamping spring 23 provides notonly a simple construction, but also the advantage that this spring, in addition to the channel 1` itself, establishes a second conductive connection between the wire 35 and the supply wire (not shown) which is to be clamped at the right-hand side.

The spring 23 is only slightly narrower than the inner width of the channel 1 and is secured therein in a simple manner sueh that it is substantially immovable when vthe projection 25 is utilized. This is due to the fact that the spring 23 resiliently engages the bottom of the channel 1 in the vicinity of its extremities (if no wires are clamped) and said spring also engages the projection 25` with upwardly directed pressure. y

The projection 25 is not bent during the manufacture of the device and thus is still in the side-wall of the channel 1. rIlhe spring 23'is introduced'into the channel,y and 'one of its extremities,` for example, the bifurcated extremity 29 is applied to the associated bolt `5 in' such a manner that it is positioned around the narrow portion 33 of said associated bolt 5 after the nuts 7 and 9 have been provided in the channel and the bolts 3 and 5 have been screwed into said nuts. Due to its U-shaped portion 24, the spring 23 can be somewhat extended, and the forked extremity 27 may be drawn to the left by means of a suitable tool to such an extent that it may be applied to the thicker end of the bolt 3 instead of to the narrower portion 31 of said bolt.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show, in three views, an insulating body 41 (the central portion thereof is omitted Ifor the sake of clarity), for example of synthetic resin, in which a plurality, for example 12, of channel-like clamping members of the described kind, substantially constituted by the channel 1 and hereinafter indicated by the reference numeral 1, may be provided. The insulating body 41 is 0 constituted by a strip-like bottom plate 43 on which a plu- .frality of upright (in Fig. 3 vertical) partitions 45 are formed, which jointly constitute the boundary of a number of grooves 47 which are open on three sides. The channellike clamping members 1 are positioned in the said grooves so that lthey tit exactly therein and are prevented from falling out of the body 41 by a projection 49 (see Fig. 2) bent out of a side-wall of the channel 1 and acting as a barb. Any shift in the longitudinal direction of the channel parts 1 is prevented by vertical ribs 51 formed on the partitions 45 (see Fig. 5

The partitions 45 are U-shaped in side view (see Fig. 4). An insulating strip S3 passing through all the partitions y45 extends over the bottoms of U-shaped recesses 52 provided in said partitions, said strip having tooth-like widened parts 55 along the two edges. The tooth parts 55 extend into the grooves 47 and tit tightly therein. The strip 53 helps to maintain the partitions 45 in exactly parallel positions. That is, the strip 53 prevents bending of the partitions 45 and also prevents the channel-like clamping members 1 from falling out of the body 41.

The assembly constituting the insulating body 41, clamping members 1 and covering strips 53 may be secured with the use of two screw bolts 57 to a chassis plate 59, so that the free, first-mentioned elements may also be united to form a coherent assembly. The insulating strip 53 may also be used for providing markings, as may be seen in Fig, 5 atl and XII.

If desired, one of the bifurcated extremities (for example, 27) of the spring 23 may be straightened so that it projects from the channel 1. Said extremity may then be used as a soldering tab, irrespective of the possibility of clamping under it a wire with the use of the bolt 3, which in this case would no longer be prevented from falling out of the channel part 1. The resultant soldering tab, due to the use of only one spring 23, is directly connected to the clamping member at the other extremity of the channel (that is, the extremity 29 of said spring).

While the invention has been described by means of a specific example and in a speciiic embodiment, I do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A connecting device for electrical wires comprising a channel-like element composed of electrically conductive material, a resilient strip having a substantially U-shaped intermediate section, end portions and bifurcated end extremities, said strip being positioned in said element and extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, a projection struck out from said element, said projection engaging said strip in said intermediate section thereby securing said strip in said element, a pair of clamping bolts each having an `area of reduced diameter relative to the diameter of its shank, means mounting said bolts in said element at substantially right angles to the portion of said element wherein said strip is positioned and permitting said bolts to be screwed into and out of the said element, said end portions of said strip being positioned under the lower portions of said bolts and being bent back at said end extremities in a manner whereby said bifurcated end extremities engage said bolts at said reduced diameter areas, said strip and bolts being positioned in a manner whereby an electrical wire may be clamped in said connecting device between an end portion of said strip and the portion of said element wherein said strip is positioned by means of least one of said bolts.

2. The combination of a receptacle |and a plurality of connecting devices for electrical wires, each of said connecting devices comprising a channel-like element composed of electrically conductive material, a resilient strip having a .substantially U-s'haped intermediate section, end portions and bifurcated end extremities, said strip bring positioned in said element and extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, a projection struck out from said element, said projection engaging said strip in said intermediate section thereby securing said strip in said element, a pair of clamping bolts each having an area of reduced diameter relative to the diameter of its shank, means mounting said bolts in said element at substantially right angles to the portion of said element wherein said strip is positioned and permitting said bolts to be screwed into and out of the said element, said end portions of said strip being positioned under the lower portions of said bolts and being bent back at said end extremities in a manner whereby said bifurcated end extremities engage said bolts at said reduced diameter areas, said strip and bolts being mounted in a manner whereby an electrical wire may be clamped in said connecting device between an end portion of said strip and the portion of said element wherein said strip is positioned by means of least one of said bolts, said receptacle being composed ot" electrically insulating material, said receptacle comprising a plurality of partitions formed therein, each of said partitions forming with an adjacent partition a groove open on three sides, and means for securing said channellike elements in substantially side by side positions in said grooves of said receptacle, said last-mentioned means comprising a projection struck out from a side of each of said elements and adapted to engage an adjacent partition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

